The Lost Age of Men
by Flowers of Moss
Summary: The story of Adepts and the wars before Alchemy was sealed away. Chapter 7 now up! Beginning chapters have been revised
1. Prologue

OK, This is my first fic. I need to start practicing so when I take Creative Writing, I won't fail it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Golden Sun. Or anything else.

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The Lost Age of Men

Chapter 1

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"Aw..Dad, do I really have to?" Sam sighed. His daughter, Lydia, was the most precious thing to him. He just wished she would do as told. She always had to whine and complain before she did as he asked. Typical teenager. This time it was chores, which always seemed to induce the most awful complaining.

"Yes, you have to wash the dishes. It's not that difficult. Now that we have running water, you don't even have to fetch the water. Be grateful," he told her. Indoor plumbing was just recently invented and they had just installed it into their house. They were very lucky to have it. He sighed. Kids these days, he thought. They just don't realize what it was like to live without all these luxuries. His mind wandered back to the days before he married. Those were the good days, he thought. Before…

_The night turned dark and wet as a storm rolled in and blocked out the stars. Thunder crashed overhead, and the lightning eerily flashed to reveal the creatures of the night. A large group of men quickly marched towards a small village in the distance. The only sound they made was the squelch of their boots on the wet ground and the light clinking of metal weapons._

_ As they arrive at the village, the frontrunner rips off the door to the first house and quickly enters. Several screams are heard, then he runs out, throws some oil in the house, and tosses in a match and moves on as the house slowly catches fire. The other follow suit. The villagers start to realize that something is amiss. In the far side of town, a young woman groggily sits up and quickly wakes to sounds of destruction. She shakes her husband awake and runs to get her little baby. The family races from the house, closely followed by others that were alerted to the danger. Some of the attackers see them, and quickly fire arrows into the escaping pack. Several fall, one of which was the woman holding her little girl. Her husband goes to her, and she cries, "No! Take the baby and run!" The husband, in shock, does as he was commanded, and runs off into the night…_

Tears welled up in Sam's eyes. No! I have to be strong for Lydia. I can't cry, he thought. It was so hard, he missed her so much. He turned away from his daughter. He never found out why those men came to slaughter their village. He couldn't understand how any person could do that to another. For now, he was somewhat contented to live in peace. But one day…he would find out who those murderers were…

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So, you like? Please Review. Come on, the button's right there. I wanna know what y'all (that sounds so neat) think before I write more.

Saturos: Yeah! Review, people!!

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	2. Chapter 1

Thanks to my ONE REVIEWER, DarkDragonX. Really though, that whole middle section of the last chapter was supposed to be in italics. Y'know, like a flashback? If anyone has any tips on how to get to upload italics and dividers and stuff like that, drop me an e-mail at or put it in a review. Thanks all!

Saturos: Oh yeah, Flowers doesn't own Golden Sun.

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The Lost Age of Men

Chapter 2

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Even though it had been 10 years since that horrible night, Sam still thought about it. He thought about his beautiful wife with her long silvery, blue hair, and entrancing blue eyes. Her name was Sirella, a Mercury Adept.

Lydia was almost an exact clone of Sirella. The same silvery, blue hair, the same face. The only thing that belonged to him was her eyes, which were the brown of his own, common in Venus Adepts. The couple was unusual, as Mercury Adepts, especially Lemurians, tended not to mingle with other Adepts. But Sirella was different. When he met her on a business trip to Lemuria, he quickly fell in love. Sirella decided to stow away on his ship and leave Lemuria, away from living forever in the doldrums of eternity. When, to his surprise, she came out of the ship's hold, he shortly asked her to marry him, regardless of her age. She looked young…but you can never really tell with those Lemurians. They returned to his village in the country and had a baby girl.

It almost pained him to look at Lydia because she looked so much like Sirella. But every time he looked in her eyes, he saw himself reflected back, a reminder that this was his life now, and that Lydia was the most important thing he had now.

Sam was now the owner of a fine blacksmith shop in the town of Sacor. (A/N: For my purposes, it is a little north of where Kalay should be) Sacor was a nice, small town in the middle of Angara with a mix of Adepts and normal humans in its population. It was the perfect place to raise a child, so when he ran from his burning village, he stayed put. It had many businesses, so he learned to be a blacksmith, then inherited the whole smithy from the previous owner when he decided to leave to explore the world. It turned into almost an office job for him, because he had hired many apprentices and employees over the years. But he still guided his apprentices and took on many jobs, mostly because he loved what he did.

"Hey, Sam!" One of his employees, and his good friend, Jake, called him over. He set down his tools and walked over.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"Well, it seems that our comp'ny cupboard's empty! What about lunch?"

Sam laughed. Leave it to Jake to always be thinking about his stomach, he thought.

"Send somebody out to the market, if you're starving" he said aloud.

"I dunno, man, we're swamped with orders this morning," came the reply

"Not too busy for lunch…"

"Oh, but I've gotta eat to work. You could just send Lydia. She's not doing anything right now,"

"But…," Sam trailed off. She was twelve years old. Most certainly old enough to go get food from the market. She was always helpful around his blacksmith shop, but he was always hesitant to send her into the city without supervision. What if something happened? He couldn't bear to loser her. But he couldn't think of anything that could possibly happen in the crowded market. It _was_ a very safe city, and she knew many people that lived here.

"Well, all right. I'll give her some money and she can get us something to eat." He walked off to send Lydia on her errand.

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That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed. I'm pretty sure of what I'm going to do for the next chapter, so I should have up pretty soon. Hopefully before the weekend's over b/c I have to go to school.

Anyways, Review!!!! Constructive criticism is most definitely welcome. And if you don't like it, feel free to tell me.

Saturos: Well, you know how it is. If everyone hates the story, FoM probably won't want to waste her time writing more.

Whatever….Reviewing, we are.


	3. Chapter 2

Hello Hello!!! I hope to have this chapter up and finished by Monday. Otherwise I won't be done until next weekend. I have to work several days after school until 6:30 and the days that I don't work I have practice. Plus homework. Grr…

Saturos: It's your fault you have a life.

Disclaimer please.

Saturos: FoM does not own Golden Sun, mostly because she has a life.

Whatever…again…Anywho, here it is, Ch 2!

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The Lost Age of Men

Chapter 2

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Lydia walked toward the city market. Sacor was a fairly large city, so it did take some time to get places on foot. She looked up at the sky. It was a bright sunny day, but there were dark clouds coming in from the east. She liked the rain, it felt good, made the grass grow. But she hated storms. They had always reminded her of fire, which she could not stand. Her dad hated storms too, but it was probably for a different reason, since he certainly wasn't afraid of fire.

On her way, she met many people she knew, waving hello and continuing on. Just like any other day. As she arrived at the market, it began raining. As the sky darkened, she knew she had to hurry back, so the food that she would buy would not be soaked. She giggled. "Jake would be so mad," she said to herself. She quickly bought a loaf of bread and some cheese and moved off toward the fruit stand. As she passed by a darkened alleyways in between market stalls, she heard some kind of noise, which was strange, since the market crowd was noisy. It had almost sounded like someone calling her name. Maybe there's a hurt person over there, she thought, and walked into the alley. Suddenly, she was surrounded by a large group of strange looking men.

"Who are y-uhnnn" She never finished the sentence as something hit the back of her head and she fell into darkness.

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Sam was beginning to get worried. The storm outside was worsening, and Lydia still wasn't back. He wanted to go search for her, but he knew he couldn't leave the shop with all the work they had. Jake, even with his goofy exterior and lunchless stomach, could see that something was bothering Sam.

"You're worried about Lydia, ain't ya?" he asked.

"Yea…she should be back by now…she hates storms."

"Well, how 'bout we take a short break and go out to look for her?"

"But our work…."

"Oh, it can wait. C'mon."

"Thanks, buddy."

They grabbed raincoats and boots before heading out into the rain.

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Lydia woke up to a throbbing headache and the feeling of being bounced around. She opened her eyes. "Wha…" The she was unceremoniously set onto the ground by whatever was carrying her. She could finally see who, or what her captors were. There was a small group of men and women, all with strange colored, scaly skin, and oddly colored hair.

"What's going on?" she demanded. One of the strange people, this one with green skin and orange hair, spoke.

"We're on a very important mission," he said in a deep voice. The rest of the oddly colored foreigners seemed to respect him, Lydia noticed.

"Who are you?"

"We are adepts from the Fire Clan of the North. We need you to do something for us."

"Umm…what?"

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Sam and Jake hurried along the muddy streets. Everyone the saw said that they had seen Lydia heading toward the market. But so far, there had been no trace of her. They finally made it to the food stalls. The first one said she had been by, but she had never come to the fruit stall. A man with purpleish hair watched them from an alleyway, half hidden by the rain. As Sam and Jake moved off to search another area, he followed them. They're going to hate me, he thought. He tapped on Sam's shoulder.

"You are looking for you daughter, yes?" he asked. Sam grabbed the man's shirt collar and held him to a nearby wall. He was almost surprised by his own strength.

"Where is she?!" he yelled. The purple-haired man look unfazed.

"Please calm down, I did not do anything to her. But I do know where she might be and who might have taken her."

"Well, you'd better start talking, buddy-"

"If you are willing to trust me-"

"Why should we trust you?" Jake interrupted.

"Because I am the only one who knows who these people are and where they are going. And, why they took your daughter."

"What is your name?" Sam demanded.

"My name is Hamar. And if you will stop choking me, I will take you to your daughter."

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Well there it is. I am trying to make the chapters longer but I have a hard time coming up with that much in one sitting.

Saturos: Hehe. She forgets what she writes if she leaves and then she can't think of anything else. Pathetic.

Not true! I just…forget….yea..umm….Review please.

Saturos: Remember, constructive criticism is good. Flames are not appreciated but if you don't like the story and have a good reason for it, that's ok. Telling her that you do like it is good too.


	4. Chapter 3

Well, since I'm still home with plenty of time, I suppose I'll start another chapter. I really wish more people would review though. It's nice to know that somebody appreciates you.

Saturos: I appreciate you. cough not really cough

Yea right. Anyways…

Saturos: FoM doesn't own the Golden Sun……the last time I checked.

You know what irritates me? The way that doesn't upload my stuff right. Grr…

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The Lost Age of Men

Chapter 3

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Lydia scowled at her abductors.

"We need you to help us….You are a Mercury adept, yes?"

"Well, I think so, but-"

The man interrupted. "Let me tell you a story. It's the easiest way to explain what in Weyard is going on"

"Once, adepts like you were very common. Your powers come from a force called Alchemy, which binds our whole world together. Adepts used their powers to care for the land and protect the people of Weyard from evil. Our land was peaceful and prosperous. But then some Adepts began using their powers for personal gain, to become wealthy, and treated the normal humans as inferiors. Some of the people became very jealous of the adepts and became restless. About twenty years ago, a group of men from northern Gondowan attacked and killed the adept oppressor, then wiped out all the adepts that were living in the city. If they could not have the power of Alchemy, then they would destroy those who did. As their revolt gained momentum, they began wiping out entire villages of adepts, many of which were peaceful. You and your father escaped from one of those massacres. I don't know if your father ever told you how your mother died, but she was murdered while you escaped."

Lydia shook her head and looked down.

"You are very fortunate to be alive. Many were not so lucky. When our village ,Prox, was attacked we were completely unprepared, and we are all that is left. We lived in the far north, past Angara, in the northern wastelands, and they came for us. We lived there because of our dragon-like features – notice the scales, so we thought everyone had forgotten us, but we were obviously wrong. Those of us that escaped ran south across the ocean to northern Angara, where we hid for a while. But now we have devised a solution to this problem, and that's why we are here."

Lydia was overwhelmed by this information. She had no idea what went on outside Sacor. It had always been a very safe city where everyone got along.

"So…" she ventured.

"We will seal away Alchemy. You will help us save the world!"

Lydia was very confused now. Was that even possible? "I don't even know your name!"

"My name is Agar, but it is not important. No one will remember our names. Now, would you like to see how we will stop wars forever?"

"Yes…I think so."

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"So, Hamar, how do you know where my daughter went?" Sam asked of his new companion.

"I know many things. Including the fact that you and your friend are Adepts."

"How do you know that? I don't exactly broadcast that fact."

"I am one myself. I am a Jupiter Adept." This surprised Sam. He had never met an Adept aligned with Jupiter before. They were very rare around these parts, since most of them came from Atteka, which was quite a hike from Angara. He had heard that they could read minds, but that was just a rumor.

"Well, how about you tell us what's going on here! I don't appreciate being left in the dark, especially since it's _my_ daughter in danger here!"

"I don't think she's in danger, actually. If I'm right."

"And if you're not?" Sam demanded.

"Well, she'll probably be dead before we catch them."

"You'd better hope you're right. Who's 'them', anyways?"

"They are Proxians, the Fire Clan of the North. They think that they can end all the killing, and as far as I can tell, they are trying to seal away Alchemy."

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I think I'll just stop here. I had to go to school again and I forgot what I was going to do next. I'll think of it, well, I sure hope I do.

Saturos: Yeah, you'd better

Nonexistent Reviewers: Yeah!!!

Review!!!


	5. Chapter 4

Wow! I finally made it through another week of school! I LIVE!! Anyways, it's Saturday night, and I don't work again until Tuesday, so, I should be able to get this done sometime soon….As soon as I remember what it was I was going to write…..

Saturos: The horrors of honors classes has finally taken it's toll….

MUAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

Reviewers:

Maddiemaia- Ok, I'm now accepting anonymous reviews. Also in chapter 1 the part that is in the present tense is supposed to be like an exposition kinda thing. It's supposed to be in italics, to show that it's a flashback scene. Stupid uploading…

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"OK, lemme get this strait. These guys think that Alchemy is evil?" Jake didn't understand the concept. Sam wasn't sure he understood it entirely either.

"No, they believe that because people are imperfect, they can be corrupted by it. Power corrupts, and jealousy is certainly an evil of this world. But I know more about Alchemy than these Proxians do, and I do not believe that sealing Alchemy away will fix our problems. Even if it does stop the current war, it was cause problems far into the future that are far worse." Hamar explained. These people really are ignorant, he thought. I've been in Atteka so long, I forgot what the people here were like. They do not understand the world.

"How are they planning to do this?"

"To tell the truth, I'm not entirely sure. I have been following them for a while and they have led me nowhere. But, I think they plan to take the girl to wherever they are building."

"Building?" Sam asked. "How do you know they are building something?"

"I just know. I'm almost positive."

"Well, I want my daughter safe! She comes first. Alchemy can fend for itself."

"I don't think you understand the full problem here! Even if you get your daughter back, you still will not be safe! What happened in your home village, it will come to Sacor. They _will_ wipe out the Adepts. Something must be done!" Hamar yelled at the pair.

"What do you propose?" Sam asked, not the least bit fazed by Hamar's tirade

"We will deal with that after we have stopped the Proxians. But you must promise to help me."

"Yes, sure, whatever." They walked in silence for a while. Sam wished they could hurry up and catch these people. Who knew what those crazies were doing to his daughter? Man, if there was even a scratch on her, there would be hell to pay.

Jake's stomach rumbled. "I'm hungry…"

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Lydia walked next to one of the women in the group, a very strong, but friendly person named Kardi. She had long orange hair and blue skin. Lydia found that even though she had scales and sharp teeth, Kardi was still strangely beautiful.

"So, umm, where exactly are we going?" she asked.

"You humans really need to learn patience. You will find out when we get there. If it helps any, we are going north." Kardi answered. Lydia was somewhat excited. Her dad never let her go anywhere. He rarely let her out of his sight. I'm going on an adventure, she thought to herself. This should be fun! Agar's pronouncement interrupted her thoughts.

"We will camp here for the night." Lydia looked up. The sun was setting.

"The day's gone so fast!" she exclaimed. Agar smiled at her.

"Yes, it has. And so has the distance. We may reach our destination tomorrow if the weather holds."

"Why can't you tell me where we're going?"

"There may be unfriendly ears about. Our project would be in danger if anyone caught wind of what we are planning." He walked off to gather firewood. The camp settled down and began to prepare dinner. Suddenly, one of the other men, Panul, become very alert.

"Did you hear that?" he asked. Agar listened for a minute. His eyes widened in terror. Lydia didn't hear anything.

"Oh no…Kardi, gather the children and run to the nearest village. You know where it is."

"But…"

"No buts! You must keep them safe! You know this is important!" She nodded. She motioned for Lydia and the three other children and they hurried off to the north as the sunlight faded. Agar shivered, which was strange because he never felt cold.

"They're Fenrirs, aren't they?" one of his men asked. He nodded, slowly. He looked around at the small group of men and women around him. This was one of the worst possible things that could have happened.

"We must do whatever it takes to keep them off the trail of Kardi and the children. They must make it. If they are killed, all is lost."

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Lydia's legs started to get tired. Her lungs burned and her heart pounded. She didn't do much running at home.

"Can't we slow down a little?" she panted.

"No! We must keep going! We're almost there!" Kardi shouted. Lydia was afraid. There was something wrong. She could hear it in Kardi's voice. The oldest child from Prox, Sattimen, at 16, came over and whispered in her ear.

"I think there were Fenrirs back there!." Lydia blinked at him. She had no idea what he was talking about.

"You know about wolves?" He asked. Lydia nodded.

"Well, they're like that, only far worse."

"Are they going to die?"

"I don't know. But I wouldn't want to be there." She could start to see a glow of lights in the distance. She knew that they would be safe. But she could only pray for the safe return of Agar and the others.

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Ok, I'll stop here now. So, it's Sunday night 8:22 p.m. I had a really good dinner and I finally finished my homework, and I'm just really happy about it. Not to mention, tomorrow is my easier day at school. We have block scheduling, so thought we have 4 classes 1 day and 3 the other, the classes are over an hour and a half long. OK, I'm done complaining now. 

Saturos: You are too pathetic for words

Anyways, Review please. Pretty please? If you read, I really want to know what you think.

Saturos: She likes constructive criticism too. It helps make it better. REVIEWING NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	6. Chapter 5

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The Lost Age of Men

Chapter 5

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Kardi paced the room furiously. Where could they be? What could have happened? Is it possible…No, they could not have been killed. The three Proxian chidren, Sattimen, Achad, and Kalie, along with Lydia, watched her from the beds of the room they had rented in the local inn. It was a small room, with four beds and a bathroom. But, Kardi knew that they shouldn't have to be there long.

Where are they? Kardi was getting anxious. A small pack of Fenrirs against powerful fire adepts? It shouldn't take this long, she thought. It should have been no problem. But she had a feeling that it was just wishful thinking.

"Can't we go look for them?" Kalie, the youngest, asked in a small voice.

"No, the Fenrirs may have found our trail. If we went out, they would find us. It won't be safe until dawn." Kardi wished that weren't true. She desperately wanted to go out and find her companions, but she knew that the children must be kept safe, because they were the last hope for the world. She sighed, and continued pacing. Lydia glanced out the window. It was pitch black, with not stars or moon to guide anyone out there. She wondered what was going on out there. What would they do if the worst happened?

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The sun was setting as Hamar, Sam, and Jake were setting up camp. Sam was trying unsuccessfully to start a fire. Jake went over to him

"Need some help?" he asked. Sam looked up and smiled

"Go ahead." Jake quietly said, "Flare," and fire burst from his hand onto the dry wood. Soon enough, the fire was crackling with a large flame. Hamar approached them.

"There are monsters about. I can hear them. Whoever is on watch must be extra careful," he said. Jake and Sam glanced at each other. Monsters? Neither of them had any close encounters with monsters since they had both lived in a city for most of their lives. Hamar seemed to sense their anxiety.

"You needn't worry about fighting them. Most are not particularly dangerous, we just wouldn't want them to attack us while sleeping. There are very few dangerous creatures out here." That still didn't assure Sam. He was still worried about Lydia. What if she and those Proxians were to encounter some of those dangerous creatures? Would they be able to protect her? Hamar's voice interrupted his worries.

"You should get some sleep. You'll be taking the midnight watch." Sam lay down under his blankets, not wanting to sleep. But finally, the day's exhaustion caught up with him and he drifted into sleep.

He was awakened abruptly by Jake shaking him.

"Shh, quiet. Hamar says some of those more dangerous monsters may have come across us." Sam sat up strait. He heard some howling not too far away. They both stiffened. Hamar came bursting into the clearing.

"It's a Fenrir. Just one, luckily for us." They hear some crashing coming through the trees, along with another howl, much closer this time. Hamar held up his sword…and a man with greenish skin staggered through the trees, followed closely by a Fenrir. It was a ferocious looking beast, with two heads and razor sharp teeth dripping with drool lining each mouth. It snarled and began to leap at the man. Quick as lightning, Hamar thrust his sword into the beast's chest, right where the heart was. It stopped in midair, and fell to the ground at Hamar's feet. He took his sword out and wiped it on the grass. Then he kneeled down to where the man was lying, bleeding profusely from multiple bite and scratch wounds.

"Hello, Agar."

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Dawn quickly approached the restless group in the inn. Neither, Lydia nor Sattimen had slept all night, though the younger children had drifted off from exhaustion. Kardi kept her vigilant pacing all through the night. The sun was shining though the window, oblivious to the horror that might had happened the night before.

"Something must have delayed them. There's no other possibility!" Kardi refused to believe that they might have died. It was impossible.

"We can go look for them now, right?" Lydia also desperately wanted to believe that they were still alive. Kardi nodded. They got the younger children together and left the small village. The morning was beautiful, but Kardi only hoped that it was a promise of life. It was mid-morning by the time they arrived at the woods they had been traveling in, and there was still no sign of Agar or the others.

Then, the scene changed from one of the morning's beauty to one of gory death. Both Proxian and Fenrir corpses lay on the ground, bloodied. Kardi fell to her knees.

"No…it can't be….NO!" She slammed her fists into the ground. Kali's eyes filled with tears as Lydia wrapped her arms around the small child. Sattimen bowed his head to hide his grief. Achad just stared ahead, unbelieving. Lydia held Kali as tears filled her eyes as well. All of them, dead. Kardi sobbed. She had nothing left of her family, friends. Just the children, and none of them were her own. The small group just sat there ,unsure of what to do next.

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So, there it is, Chapter 5. I'm so happy! It's finally the weekend!! Anyways, thanks to my reviewer Maddiemaia. I haven't forgotten you.

Saturos: Yeah, right.

Really! But, the most important thing, kids, is to review. So stop, drop, and review for me.

Saturos: The go button awaits…


	7. Chapter 6

Wow, it's been forever. I've been so busy, but I'm back now! Back from the dead! I'm gonna try to start updating regularly again, but I'm not making any promises.

Saturos: I'm here too!

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The Lost Age of Men

Chapter 6

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Agar glared up.

"You! You caused this! You've killed them!" he exclaimed.

Hamar looked offended. "Do what? Call monsters onto you? Why would I do something like that? Or more logically, how? Ridiculous."

"You'd do anything to stop us! I should have expected…." He trailed off, panting heavily. He fainted.

Hamar glanced at the shocked expressions of Sam and Jake. "Don't either of you fools have any healing powers?"

"Umm, I have a little bit.," Sam said.

"Well, why don't you come over here and make yourself useful!"

Sam walked over to the green-skinned man. His brow furrowed in concentration, trying to remember how Sirella had taught him. He felt the familiar power flow through him, and saw the man begin to glow a bit. Then, he fainted too.

When Sam opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the sun. Right in his face.

"Unnnn…."

Then there was a face in his vision.

"Well, that was intelligent." _Who is this?_ he thought.

"You blacked out for a little while, there." Another voice. This one seemed familiar. Sam sat up, groaned, and lay back down. Oh, I remember now. he thought. He looked over at the first voice, which was scowling. Then he looked at the second.

"Hey, Jake. What happened?" Jake just shrugged.

Hamar stood up and walked over to him. "Well, it seems that you used a little too much Psynergy when trying to heal our friend here," he said motioning to the green-skinned man from the night before. "Somehow, through your incredible intelligence, he managed to survive."

"Oh. Is this one of those Proxians, by chance?"

"Yes"

"And I just helped him?! They kidnapped my daughter!"

"That doesn't mean you have to be bitter about it."

"I have every right to be bitter!"

"Be reasonable. If he's here, that means that your girl is probably very close by"

"Well, I'm going to go find her!"

"Not good to head off in the wilderness by yourself. I have a feeling that their party is a bit delayed. We can wait."

Sam said, "Hmph!" and stomped over to Jake. Hamar sighed. Childish…

Jake nudged Sam. "Kinda arrogant, ain't he?" Sam smiled for the first time in a while.

"Heh…yea, you could say that…"

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Kardi stood up. She set her face and looked at the young ones under her care now. She glanced up at the beautiful morning sky, and decided that they must continue on. She glanced back at the children, seeing their trusting eyes focused on her. She nodded at them.

"Let's go," She said.

Lydia was the first to stand up. She walked over to where Kardi was, and looked up to her with a calm face.

"I'm ready," she said. The other children quickly followed suit.

The five travelers continued north.

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Well, that's it for now. I'm gonna go to bed.


	8. Chapter 7

Whew! Here we go again!

Saturos: Uh-oh!

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The Lost Age of Men

Chapter 7

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Kardi glanced up at the horizon, and was able to see the faint outline of the tower in the distance, which was their destination.

"We're almost there," she said.

Lydia run up from behind, breathing heavily.

"Whew! Really? Good, 'cause I'm exhausted!" she exclaimed.

They continued along the beaten down path through the plains. Lydia started to shiver a little.

"You know, it's starting to get a bit chilly," She said.

"Is it really?" Sattimen asked. "I don't really notice it."

"How can you not notice it?! I've got goose pimples!"

"We're Proxian, remember? We don't really notice the cold."

"Oh, yea, I forgot."

Kardi turned around.

"Here, you can have this." She gave Lydia her long, red cloak.

"Are you sure you don't want it?"

"I don't need it."

Lydia glanced up for the first time in a while. She saw a great tower in the distance.

"Hey! What's that?" she asked.

"You'll see soon enough," came the answer.

As they continued closer to the tower, Lydia began to see its features. It was not just tall; it was the biggest building she had ever seen. It also had a bluish color to it. They reached the base of the tower just before the sun was setting. A man with blond hair walked up to them.

"Hey Kardi! What's up? Where's everybody else?" he said.

"They…" She looked at the ground. "They were all killed."

"What! How?"

"We were attacked by a pack of Fenrirs."

"How did you escape?"

"Agar sent me ahead with the children." She looked up. "We had to save them."

"This is terrible! What are we going to do?"

"Go on without them," Kardi answered. "That's no less than what they would have expected of us."

The man sighed. "Alright then. We'll set up a memorial service for them sometime tomorrow." Kardi nodded.

Kardi looked at Lydia. "On a lighter note, we have a new friend. This is Lydia."

"Why, hello there! My name's Paul. I'm a Jupiter Adept." Paul reached to shake Lydia's hand. Lydia smiled back at him.

"Hi…I've never met a Jupiter Adept before." Paul smiled.

"No surprise there. Anyways, I bet you want to know what we're doing here. Kardi, you take those three to the shelter and get them settled. I'll give Miss Lydia a tour of our little project here."

Kardi nodded and took the three Proxian children off toward a small house.

Paul walked over to the enormous tower. "This, my dear, is the Mercury Lighthouse."

"Huh?"

"The Mercury Lighthouse. You have heard that we devised a plan to seal the power of Alchemy away, right?"

"Yes." Lydia answered.

"Well, this is it!" Paul pointed to the Lighthouse.

Lydia was baffled. "I don't get it…"

"Well, it's all pretty complicated, but if you look up towards the top there, you'll see the aerie. Up there is the beacon pit. There are 4 elements, so there will be 4 beacons, so 4 towers. By using these towers we will split the power of the Golden Sun into its separate elements and place them into 'stars'. Basically, round orbs." He began to walk toward some other people loitering around. "We have 4 orbs already. That's the easy part. Unfortunately, we are unable to access the full power of Alchemy from the mortal plane. So we must have someone who has departed from life to aid us. A sacrifice, if you will." Paul explained.

"Erm…well, how can you talk to dead people? Isn't that impossible?" Lydia seriously doubted that this plan would work.

"You'd be surprised." Paul smiled.

They reached a small podium with a blue orb a little bigger than a grapefruit on it. The orb seemed to glow with a light of its own.

"Look here," Paul said. "This is the Orb of Mercury, or the Mercury Star."

Lydia looked into the beautiful star. The flowing surface seemed to contain the essence of water itself. She looked up at Paul.

"Who was the sacrifice for this orb?" she asked.

"Look a little closer."

Lydia looked at the orb again. All she saw was her own reflection. "I just see my…" She watched in shock as her reflection shifted into the features of someone who looked very much like her, but not quite.

"Is that-?"

---

Uh, yea, that's it for now. Enjoy while you can. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Saturos: Hehehehe…


	9. Chapter 8

-

The Lost Age of Men

Chapter 8

-

"We found her spirit wandering in the remains of your village," Paul explained.

"I…didn't think dead people could do that," Lydia stammered.

"Well, sometimes when a spirit has unfinished business here in Weyard, it assumes a visible form. At least, visible to us Jupiter Adepts. They cannot wander far from their bodies, though. When we came across the ruins of the village, we found her and asked her for help because she was obviously still here for a reason. She agreed and took all of the power of Mercury into her body. Then we entrapped her in this orb."

"Does she know that she's trapped in there?"

"Probably not. Alchemy is very powerful, and since her spirit is containing a very concentrated amount, it has probably consumed her consciousness."

Lydia nodded. All of this information seemed very overwhelming for her. She stared into the star. It was certainly very beautiful. It was hard to imagine that something this small could contain so much power. "So, what now?" she asked.

"Well, we will finish building the Lighthouse. We're building on the remains of a healing spring that was fed by Mercury. Since it dried up, we built the foundations around it. The lighthouse itself is very complex. To get to the top, one must pass through traps and puzzles, because obviously we wouldn't want people walking up there all the time. The building itself is very powerful. There is an moving platform at the top that can bring those at the top of the lighthouse to the base."

"Wow. But what's all this got to do with me? I mean, you guys _did_ kidnap me."

"We have a special mission for you once the lighthouse is finished. For now, don't worry about it. Relax and enjoy the spring weather."

"This is spring??" Lydia shivered. Paul smiled and chuckled. "Yup, this is about as warm as it gets around here. We are quite far north of where you live."

Paul led her to a bonfire area, where smells of cooking meat rose to her senses and made her stomach growl. "You should eat. I'm sure you haven't eaten much in a day or so. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some things I need to attend to…" He wandered off in the direction they came from. Lydia looked around at the unfamiliar faces. They looked friendly enough, so she went searching for the source of the delicious smells.

---

"I don't see why this is necessary…" grumbled Agar. Hamar finished tying a rope to Agar's hands with a leash attached to it. "Well, we can't have you running off on us," replied Hamar calmly. "We need you to lead us to this man's daughter. It's very important that he finds her. I'd say your life depends on it." He smiled and dropped the long leash rope into Sam's hands. "Hold on to him, will you?" Sam looked at the rope in his hands blankly, then looked up at Agar, who scowled at him. He grinned sheepishly, and followed quickly behind as the grouchy Proxian stomped off into the woods. Jake and Hamar came up behind them.

After marching for a while, Agar stopped and looked around him. Sam glanced at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

Agar frowned even more than he had been. "I don't know where we are." Sam put his hand to his forehead. "Oh, Iris…" Hamar stared at Agar for a few seconds, then reached out his hand a little and closed his eyes. He seemed to glow a bit. Then he opened them, pulled out a knife, and cut the ropes on Agar. "You're free to go, if you please."

"Woah, woah, hold on a sec!" Jake exclaimed. "What'd you just do?"

"I read his mind. It's nothing to get excited about."

"Isn't it bad manners to read another Adept's mind without permission?" asked Sam.

"You probably heard that in Lemuria. Bunch of silly ninnies" Hamar replied. Jake sniggered at Sam's slight scowl.

Hamar turned to leave and ran right into Agar. "What? I said you could go. I know where we need to go."

Agar shook his head. "I need to return there, and it is not safe to roam the woods alone. I will travel with you. Although, when we get there, don't expect any welcome receptions. My people will not be happy to see you." Hamar smirked. "Oh, I wouldn't be as presumptuous to think that…" Hamar flicked his cape behind him and walked off into the woods. The rest hurried after him.

---


End file.
